Scours, particularly in new-born calves, lambs, piglets, and foals, is a major cause of death, especially under intensified commercial animal husbandry practices where the disease accounts for large economic losses. The disease occurs commonly in calves, pigs, lambs and foals under 10 days of age and is characterized by varying degrees of diarrhea and dehydration.
The disease known as adult bovine scours is also prevalent among wintering adult cattle, frequently leading to death losses. The etiology and pathology of the disease are not well understood, but the disease is generally attributed to factors which cause ordinarily harmless intestinal bacteria to proliferate. Regardless of the cause, the result is a net loss of electrolytes and fluids into the intestinal lumen. The loss of electrolytes and fluids results in acidosis and dehydration leading to other acute toxic effects. Generally, treatment for this condition involves correction of the acid base imbalance and rehydration and treatment of intestinal infections, if present. Such treatments may include administration of antibacterial agents and electrolyte solutions orally. The usual antibacterial agents are antibiotics and sulfonamides.
In recent years, a variety of amidinoureas have been shown to be effective antidiarrheal agents in laboratory test animals and in humans. Pharmaceutically effective antidiarrheal agents such as the amidinoureas are not known for use in the treatment of scours, particularly in calves, lambs and piglets, where annual losses to this disease are high. These compounds have demonstrated their activity in laboratory animals under test conditions designed to mimic gastrointestinal disorders in humans by inducing symptomatic diarrhea in the test animals. Such amidinoureas and their pharmaceutical activity are described in Arzneimittel Forschung, Drug Research 28 (II), 1433-1480, (1978). It has now been found that these amidinoureas are particularly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality rate in calves, lambs, piglets and foals suffering from scours, and in adult cattle suffering from bovine winter scours, when orally administered to such animals in effective amounts.